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What a wonderful ride today. 43 miles from Freeport, Illinois to Monroe, Wisconsin. The trail was not paved, but was hard pack with some moss, grass, and sand. For a dirt trail, it was in fabulous condition; we met several diamond frame bikes on the route who were navigating it without issues.The best part was that it was 90% shaded. With 100% humidity the shade was quite welcome. We left our campsite about 7am and were riding just before 8:00. We started at 67 degrees and finished at 88 degrees. If it had been dry it would have been easy, but with the humidity it felt like riding through a sauna.
The trail wound its way through space and time, passing a ~150 year old grist mill, the remains of a prohibition era speakeasy. While we knew we were passing more endless corn and soybean fields, much of the trail had a berm of lush dense foliage that hid them view. The vegetation seemed to almost grow as we watched, helped along by extensive wetlands engineered to remediate some of the road realignments and bridge construction in the area. Of course with wetlands, comes a lively insect population. Mosquitoes and dragonfly abounded, and our stops in the shade provided a veritable human buffet.
As I was riding along the trail, I couldn't help but think about Jane Addams. In an era notorious for its robber barons, 18 hour days and 7 day work weeks for immigrants living in horrific conditions, Pinkertons firing into a crowd of strikers demanding an 8 hour day, Jane Addams pioneered social justice and reform. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Addams gives hope and inspiration in our current era of 21st robber barons.
The route treated us to heron sightings and rabbits, rabbits, rabbits. In Orangeville we saw ‘The Haunted Warehouse. We also saw a caboose and grain elevator right beside the rail bed. Check out our snaps...
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